Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s leading Latino dance company, announced the addition of five new dancers to its professional company: Maya Canestaro, Matthew Mancuso, Amanda Bacallao, Thierry Blannchard, and Kevin Ortiz Lemus. The company, led by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, will tour internationally over the coming year.
“I’m so thrilled to introduce our newest artists at Ballet Hispánico,” Vilaro said. “Since its beginnings, the company has always lured the most vibrant, technically gifted, and charismatic dancers. These new dancers are no different, and they possess the artistic integrity and magic needed in today’s dance landscape.”
Maya Canestaro, from San Antonio, Texas, trained in ballet and Filipino folk dance, studying at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and performing with Ballet Chicago and Kansas City Ballet’s second company. Matthew Mancuso, from East Haven, Connecticut, trained at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and performed with “Gaspard and Dancers” across Europe.
Amanda Bacallao, of Cuban descent from Miami, Florida, is pursuing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has performed works by Dwight Rhoden, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, and others. Thierry Blannchard, from São Paulo, Brazil, trained at the Bolshoi Theater School and has worked with Eglevsky Ballet and international choreographers. Kevin Ortiz Lemus, from Guatemala, has performed with Brooklyn Ballet, Peridance, and was Principal Dancer with the Modern and Folkloric Ballet of Guatemala.
Founded over five decades ago, Ballet Hispánico has commissioned more than 100 original works and performed on stages worldwide. Recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation, the company is celebrated for its bold repertory, artistic excellence, and community engagement.
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